


Holding

by ToriCeratops



Series: Anything But Ordinary [2]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Established Relationship, Future Fic, M/M, Married Couple, Past Mpreg, Slice of Life, family life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 08:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30018867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToriCeratops/pseuds/ToriCeratops
Summary: The silence is peaceful.  The air is the gentle cool of a California winter blowing in through the open living room window.  Lights twinkle gently on their Christmas tree, over crowded with a menagerie of ornaments and way too much tinsel.“Daddy!”His peace is interrupted by the bright and grinning face of Elizabeth suddenly appearing in the open window.“Hurry up!”
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Series: Anything But Ordinary [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2180133
Comments: 3
Kudos: 83





	Holding

**Author's Note:**

> Please note the tags. This series centers around singular moments in the lives of Buck and Eddie's family and contains, at times, MPREG.

**019 - Holding**

* * *

December, 2028

Buck takes a deep breath.

Counts to five.

Lets it go.

Repeat.

The silence is peaceful. The air is the gentle cool of a California winter blowing in through the open living room window. Lights twinkle gently on their Christmas tree, over crowded with a menagerie of ornaments and way too much tinsel.   


“Daddy!”

His peace is interrupted by the bright and grinning face of Elizabeth suddenly appearing in the open window. 

“Hurry up!” She demands then disappears again.

Their morning has been absolute chaos and he has loved every single second of it. Even if it did leave him with a desperate need for a moment to breathe. Last Christmas had been dark. Despite putting all the lights and ornaments up just like every year before for the kids, Buck just hadn't been able to enjoy it. This year... this year is different. 

This year he feels alive again.

But there’s more chaos outside, so he inhales deeply once more, then goes to join them with a genuine smile spread across his face.

A few other families on their quiet street are already out enjoying the day as well and there’s a quiet joy that fills the air. Laughter, the murmur of soft conversations, the bark of a new puppy… Christopher is already strapped into his trike and making a few laps with Belle, their six year old pit-bull trotting along at his side like always. They’ll likely stop at the Andrews’ for a while to meet the new retriever puppy Buck knows they got the kids.

In his own front yard Eddie is checking each and every strap and fastener on Elizabeth and Briana’s protective gear. Elizabeth, a few weeks shy of five years old, is decked out in pink and glittery elbow and knee pads and a princess helmet. Her dark hair is pulled back in a braid that falls down her back and she looks nervous, but bouncing in excitement. Her sister wiggles under Eddie’s attention, like she’s done every day of her three plus years of life, and keeps looking at her blue and purple pads (already covered in dinosaur stickers after only an hour) like they’re the greatest thing since sliced bread. Her blonde baby curls look somehow even more wild sticking out from under her helmet. 

“Are you ready?” Eddie asks Elizabeth, still kneeling in front of her, looking more nervous than she does. “It came with training wheels we can put on if you want. I can…”

“I’m ready,” she insists, likely having assured him several times already given the exasperation in her usually calm and patient features. “I’m ready,” she repeats more to herself this time.

Buck gives Eddie a reassuring smile of his own as he joins them at Elizabeth’s eye level. 

“Of course you’re ready! You’re a Buckley! You’re going to get on that bike, have a few falls, get up, and out-ride the whole neighborhood in no time.”

She visibly brightens at Buck’s words, a reaction that always makes his heart sing.

To Eddie, she nods.

“Let’s do this.”

Together, she and Eddie guide the brand new bike with it’s rainbow colored streamers out into the street while Buck and Briana stay in the driveway. In no time at all their youngest is zooming past his shins on the flat concrete while the others are out on the pavement. He alternates snapping pictures and grabbing quick videos of everyone, from Christopher racing Alan from three houses down, to Briana stopping her own cycling only for a face full of kisses from Belle and a round of giggles, to Eddie finally letting go of the bike as Elizabeth zooms off on her own for the first time. Everyone cheers her on with whoops and shouts, even all of the neighbors who are out and about. She is gearing up to join Christopher and Alan in a ‘race’ when Buck gets distracted by Briana.

“I do that.”

He looks down to find her parked right at his side, already dismounting.

“Of course you can, baby,” he assures her. Every physical activity their youngest sets out to do she does extremely well. Hell, the morning she took her first steps she was running by dinner. “You’re doing it right now.” He kneels down and pats her bike with an exaggerated serious look on his face. “You’ve been a master of this bad boy for  _ months. _ ”

Briana stares him down a moment, then leans over, tiny, still slightly pudgy with baby fat fingers grasping at the bolt that holds on her training wheels that stays firmly in place. 

“Like Izbeth.”

Oh.

Buck’s chest does this weird twisty thing that happens sometimes with his kids where he is simultaneously proud as hell and terrified all at once. He has always done his best to be fully supportive of their decisions within reason. Mostly so they knew how to make them on their own once he wasn’t there, but also so they hopefully get all the dumb ones out of the way early.

However…

“I don’t know how much your dad would like that, baby,” he hedges. Eddie tends to be very particular when it comes to physical safety. 

His baby girl gives him this  _ look  _ \- complete with one raised eyebrow and tilted hips - that reminds him how often they joke about having a threenager.

“Alright,” he gives in, throwing his hands in the air in defeat. Besides, trying now, in full protective gear on her own bike with both of them present will hopefully keep her from sneaking on her sister’s larger, more dangerous bike when no one is there to pick her back up.

Briana’s training wheels come off easily, but he takes his time with the bolt, explaining how to balance, getting her to demonstrate which way to lean when something happens so he knows she’s got it. Unsurprisingly, she pays rapt attention. Intent. Focused. 

The second Buck proclaims he’s finished she’s on again, not even waiting for him to help. 

“I can do it!”

There are a few wobbly false starts and one almost fall as Buck keeps pace with her down the driveway, reminds her to lean, to keep steady. 

She over compensates just before the drive ends and Buck thinks she’s finally going over. But in a flash she throws her leg out to keep from toppling and sets herself right once again.

On the street, more kids have joined Christopher and Elizabeth.

When Buck looks down at Briana, her chubby little face is set in determination, and she takes a deep breath, then looks up at her daddy.

“Go show ‘em how it’s done, baby girl.”

And she’s off.

Briana zooms off the driveway and into the street with Buck laughing at a jog right behind her. 

She’s giggling as she passes inches next to Eddie, who jerks in shock, shouts her names and starts to go after her. Buck stops him with an arm around his shoulders and a hand on his chest.

“I can do it!” She’s shouting on repeat.

“She can do it,” Buck assures his obviously freaked out husband.

“What were you thinking? She’s three years old!” Despite his panic, Eddie doesn’t try to break away, though there’s a bit of a tremor that tells Buck he still desperately wants to.

“And she’s doing fine. Look.”

Sure enough, Briana has already made one loop of the typical route she goes on when she’s allowed on the street with her dads. Buck can feel Eddie relaxing bit by bit until a small smile finally begins to tease at the edge of his lips. The other kids catch up with her quickly, distracting Briana just enough that she starts to wobble.

Eddie tenses again, but Buck holds him tighter.

She does crash, into one of the neighbor’s yards, and Eddie is nearly vibrating in Buck’s arms.

“Wait for it.”

Two seconds later, Belle is standing over her, tail wagging, licking Briana’s face. 

She giggles, then jumps up.

“I did it!”

“That’s my girl!” Buck shouts while Eddie sighs, relaxing a touch. He plants a big kiss on his husband's cheek before breaking into a laugh. Briana is already back on her bike, following Belle to Christopher’s side.

“You are going to pay for nearly giving me a heart attack.”

Buck just shrugs, smiling widely.

“And now we’re never going to be able to keep up with her!”

“She won’t be able to get away  _ that  _ easily.” Buck points out.

“That’s what you said when she learned to swim this summer. And who freaked out when she slipped away into the deep end?”

“Uh, you did. Just like now, she was fine.” Eddie tilts his head and Buck sighs. “Fine, we both did. But she’s not stopping any time soon.”

Eddie shakes his head, snaking an arm around Buck’s middle and giving him a quick squeeze.

“Maybe I just wish they would all slow down, just for a little bit.”

Christopher and Briana ride side by side, Belle and Elizabeth right behind them, everyone laughing and being silly as they ride around the perimeter of their street. 

Even though Buck agrees, he doesn’t say anything. 

For now, he focuses on holding onto the joy in the moment…

As long as he possibly can. 

**Author's Note:**

> Christopher is 17 and riding a Rifton R140 adaptable tricycle.


End file.
